Governor John Bel Edwards has expressed his disappointment about a 1st Circuit Court Decision today involving job discrimination in his ongoing battle with the Attorney General Jeff Landry. The Appellate Court today sided with Landry over the issue whether the Governor can protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people working for state government from discrimination, harassment, and firing.

Today, the appellate court said that "The Governor's Executive Order in this case goes beyond a mere policy statement or directive to fulfill law, because there is no current state or federal law specifically outlining anti-discrimination laws concerning and/or defining sexual orientation or gender identity," Judge Toni M. Higginbotham wrote the decision on behalf of the Court. "The current laws simply prohibit discrimination based on a person's biological sex," she wrote.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued this statement:

“I have said repeatedly that discrimination is not a Louisiana value, and this decision does not change my conviction that hiring decisions in state government should be based on merit alone. Discrimination in state government and by state contractors is wrong, makes us weaker, and is bad for business and economic development. Even President Trump agrees, as he has kept in place a federal executive order which is virtually identical to the order I put in place. I went a step further and provided an exemption for certain religious organizations.

“We will thoroughly review the ruling before determining our next steps.”